Apparatus for washing and conditioning air



I v I I June 3, 1952 J, sc 2,599,202

APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND CONDITIONING AIR Filed April 17, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Albert J Sc/u'mpke ATTORNEYS.

A. J. SCHIMPKE APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND CONDITIONING AIR June 3, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 17, 1947 IN V EN TOR.

m oke m m s mm J m A. J. SCHIMPKE APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND CONDITIONING AIR June 3, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 17, 1947 INV R. A/berzf J. ficlu'm oke 5 BY EWWU v llll Patented June 3, 1952 APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND CONDITIONING AIR Albert J. Schimpke, Detroit, Mich.

Application April 17, 1947, Serial No. 742,163

Claims. 1

This invention relates to a machine for washing or cleaning dust laden air and it has to do particularly with a machine of this character which performs the cleaning functions by pumping and spraying in the form of a mist a cleaning or washing liquid, such as water.

The invention is directed particularly toward the provision of an improved air washing apparatus which efficiently cleans the air and which is essentially a wet type dust collector. In carrying out the invention, a chamber is provided through which the air is pumped and in the chamber is located liquid handling means which pumps the liquid or water from a sump or container and sprays the water in mist form. The entrained substances in the air are caught by the water and separated from the air.

Among the several objects of the invention are the provisions of an improved liquid pump and spray unit so organized and designed as to efliciently pump the liquid with a continuous nonsurging action and so arranged and constructed that the spray may be varied. It will be understood that there are locations in factories where pieces of cloth, thread or string may enter the pump and the present invention embodies a pump which will not become clogged or otherwise interfered with by the presence of such substances. Other objects of the invention include a novel arrangement of a separator construction for separating the airfrom the moisture together with the entrapped substances and still other objects will become appreciated as the following detailed description is followed:

An apparatus for washing air is shown in the accompanying drawings and described herein. In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a general view showing the-exterior of a casing which embodies the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken through the apparatus showing the pump mechanism, the spray device, and the separator structure.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken through the pump and operating shaft substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 2 showing some of the pump structure andits support.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 2 showing the liquid spraying element.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a segment of a separator.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the apparatus comprises an exterior shell I which provides a chamber 2 therein. The lower portion of the shell at 3 provides a sump for the liquid which may be plain water where air is to be cleaned and the sump portion has an extending part 4 with an opening 5 through which the accumulated material may be removed in any suitable manner.

The inlet for air is shown at 8, the same entering the side of the shell I and preferably discharging the air slightly above the level of the liquid which is indicated at r. The outlet for the air is at the top of the shell, as shown at 9. Mounted centrally in the shell is a shaft l2 which may be driven by a suitable motor l3 operating through driving means, such as a plurality of vbelts [4, as shown in Fig. 1, and on the upper portion of this shaft is a fan l5 provided with suitable shrouding It. When the fan is operated the air is drawn in through the inlet 8 and discharged through the outlet 9 with the air moving generally upwardly in the shell I.

The pump structure is primarily supported by an interior supporting brace structure 20, suspended from which by rods 2| is a supporting plate 22. Attached to the plate 22 is an upwardly extending bowl 24. The plate has an opening 25 which provides an opening in the bottom of the bowl. The opening 25 has a cross dimension less than that of the bowl and thus provides a circumferential ledge 26. The shaft I2 is hollow, as indicated, and as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it has a collar 28 fixedly secured thereto. Mounted on the shaft is the spray element of the unit and this comprises an upper plate or bracket 30 with a tubular center part 3| through which the shaft l2 extends. Secured to the lower end of the tubular member 31, as by means of welding or the like, is a nut 32 arranged to engage the threads 33 on a reduced portion of the shaft. When the sleeve 3| is passed over the shaft and rotated relative thereto, the nut screws onto the thread 33 and draws the collar 28 tightly against the upper plate 30 and, therefore, the spray element is fixedly united in driving relationship with the shaft. Needless to say, the hand of the thread is such that the direction of rotation tends to keep the threaded engagement tight.

Mounted on the upper plate 30 are a plurality of rods 35. These rods extend downwardly from the upper plate and their lower ends are attached to a lower ring or plate 36. Thus, when the shaft revolves, the spray element, which may be considered as being a cage-like element, is rotated with the shaft.

The lower end of the tubular element 3| is provided with a flange 31 which is bolted to a flange 38, in turn united as by means of welding or the like, to a rotary tubular element 39. Mounted as by means of welding on the tube 39, are a plurality of impeller blades 40. As shown in Fig. 4, there may be four of such impeller blades. These blades extend outwardly and have a running clearance with respect to the interior of the bowl 24. The lower portions of the blades are preferably cut away as at H to provide relatively narrow portions 42, the lower edges of which are located immediately above the ledge 23. These blades are preferably vertically positioned.

Positioned above the blades are guide wanes 45. These are preferably welded to the interior of the bowl and have an adequate running clearance as at 46, with respect to the impeller blades. -A tubular element 41 is welded to the upper portions of the blades A0, ,as indicated at 48. This tubular element encases the element 39 and :has a running clearance .59 with respect to the gu de vanes .45. There may be, and preferably are, four of suchguide vanes 45, although this number may be varied, and they are angularly disposed, as illustratedby the, dotted lines in Fig. 3. These guides preferably have a bend formation to provide alower portion 45a at a different angle from an upper portion 45b. Theannular space between tubular element :4] and the upwardly extending bowl 24 thus provides a circumferential passage through whichthe water is pumped upwardly and which is deflected by the guide vanes. No substantial amount of water is pumped through the space inside the tubular element 41.

It will be seen, therefore, that when .theshaft i2 is rotated, that the spray element comprising the rods .35 is rotated, the lower end of the spray element being slightly above the bowl, and also the impeller blades 40 are rotated. The level of the liquid, as .indicated in .Fig. 2 issuch that the blades 40 are normally submerged.

In order to provide .an adequate bearing for the lower end of the shaft, there is a bearing support of .tubular form as at 55, which is supported by brackets 56 welded to the undersideof the plate 22 and which extends upwardly in the tube 39. As shown in Fig. .3, this is a relatively strong bearing supporting element and it is ,provided with a bearing 5] for the lower end of the shaft. At the upper .end of the bearing support and positioned between the bearing support and the shaft is a sealing element 5.8, the same being spaced from the bearing 5.! to provide a space 59. ,As mentioned above, the shaft is hollow and its upper end maybe provided with an oilcup BI and the entire hollow portion of the shaft is filled with oil. It follows that if the hollow bearing support .95 is filled with .oil, the lower .end being closed by a suitable plug 63, this oil moves upwardly, particularly in theoperation of the device, to thus lubricate the bearing .51 and the oil also fills the space 59. As the device operates the space 59 is full of oil, but its escape is checked at least in part by the seal 58. Therefore, if the apparatus stands .at rest for any considerable period of time, there is adequate oil present tolubricate the bearing. Moreover, if, due to inadvertence, the oil cup is not kept filled, there is a large supply of oil which will serve to lubricate the bearing for a long period of time.

Surrounding the spray element is a sort .of balile structure, which includes an inclined ha-file ring 65 secured in spaced relation to the inside of the shell I, and another element having a frusto-conical portion 66 which overlies the ring 65 in spaced relationship to provide a passageway 61. The member 98 has a circumferential wall portion 58 which may be supported by a plurality of brackets 69. Adjacent the inlet 9, the wall 68 carries a'depending bafile Hi. This structure, including theelements 65, 65 and 63 is oifsetoreccentrically disposed as shown in Fig. 2, so that the air entering through inlet 8 is caused :toflow upwardly around the element 35 in substal itially uniform manner. A baffle ll projects into the Iliquid and thus prevents the air from flowing through the outlet trough 5.

ilvlountedrinthe upper portion of the casing is a separator structure,.access to the space accommodating the same being made through a door it. here :are two circumferential supporting ledges l5 and I6 and an interior supporting structure (.8 having circumferential supporting flanges l9 and -39. The anterior structure 18 may be supportedby aplurality-of brackets M. The structure i8 .may also support .a bearing 82 for the shaft .1 2.

The separatorstructureembodies bafilescarried by the gledges l9, l5, {l9 and and these baffles are arranged in segments. :One segment is shown in Fig. :6 land it ,-comprises .a plurality of plates 35 and 35 which are arranged in pairs. The pairs ,of plates are more or less nested together in spaced relationship to provide tortuous passageways 8?! therethrough .and :the plates of each segment may be :mounted in the segment subassembly by rods orzstr-ips welded to the plates. Asshown ir1 -Eig.-, 2, thereare preferably two layers of separator rplates resting respectively on the ledges l5 and :89 and 15 and 19.. In order to place the separator structure :inthe shell, a segment is passed through the opening (-3 and brought {to rest :on its supporting ledges. This segment [is pushed circumferentially along the ledges 'to snake room fora second segment. This operation may be continued until there is a, full circumferential ring of se ments.

.-In the operation of the apparatus, "the dustladened .air passes into the shell through the in let .3 and then passes upwardly through the shell passing inside the circumferential wall '68 and through the separator plates. The baflle -70 is arranged todefiect the airoiroumferentially so that the air which passes upwardly inside the wall 68 is quiteuniformlyzdistributedthroughout the area inside the. wall 68. The center .of thelseparator structure is closed by the support 18. The air then passes but through the outlet 9. When the pump and spray unit are in operation, the blades 40, which :are submerged in the water or other cleansing liquid, displaces the water upwardly. This is due to several factors including the head of liquid at the level m, the presence of the ledge 26, and the angularity of the blade. However, the water would be displaced upwardly even if the blades were not .angula-rly disposed. The water passesupwardly through the circumferential passage outside the rotating tubular element or ring 41 and inside the fixed bowl 24 and is guided by the inclined vanes so that the water is forcibly pumped upwardly in the form of a cylinder and into the revolving spray cage. The rotation of the spray cage throws the water outwardly by centrifugal force and thus creates a fine mist inside the casing. As mentioned above, the angularity of the vanes 45 may be varied to attain the desired mist characteristics; If the vanes'45 are fairly steep in angularity, the water will 'wet the rods" 35 all the way to the-top plate 30. If the vanes 45 are at a lesser angle, the water will travel up and wet the rods 35 only part of the distance. So, it will be seen that the angularity of the vanes may be selected as desired. Other factors in selecting the angularity are such things as the speed of rotation in the operation of the machine and the height of the spray cage. The action appears to' be one where the pumped water strikes and accumulates in a film on the rods 35 and travels upwardly on the same, which water is thrown off centrifugally providing the fine mist or spray.

The air passing through the casing travels through the mist and then through the baflies of the separator. The water carrying the dust and dirt particles collect on the baffle plates of the separator and form drops of water larger than those of the spray and, therefore, these drops fall by gravity especially along the interior walls of the casing I The drops of water carrying the extraneous material thus fall back into the sump. Some of the water strikes the angular ring 65 and flows downwardly through this space 51 thence into the sump and some-flows through the space between the wall of the shell and the ring 65.

It has been found in practice that the apparatus is so efiicient in cleaning air, in a factory for example, that the air which is discharged through the outlet 9 may be discharged directly back into the factory building. This represents a large saving in fuel for heating the plant inasmuch as the warm air is not necessarily discharged to the outside of the building. The pump construction, as aforesaid, is one which will not be clogged nor will the function thereof be impaired by threads or strings or the like which may pass into the same with the air. There is an adequate running clearance between the blades 40 and the walls of the bowl, between the blades 40 and the vanes 45, and between the ring :21 and the blades 45. Fibrous or stringy particles will not, therefore, catch and collect in masses in these locations of clearance.

Iclaim:

1. In an air cleaning device of the type comprising a shell forming an interior chamber having an air inlet adjacent its lower end and an air outlet adjacent its upper end, a sump at the lower end of the shell for containing liquid and a vertically disposed operating shaft having a pump at the lower end thereof and a fan at the upper end thereof for moving air upwardly through said chamber, the improvement which comprises a cage-like spray device secured to said shaft above the liquid level in said sump and below said fan, said spray device comprising a bracket mounted on said shaft, a plurality of circumferentially spaced rods attached to the bracket and extending downwardly therefrom, and a supporting ring for stabilizing the lower ends of said rods, concentric cylindrical elements forming a hollow circumferential outlet for pumped liquid which is axially disposed and which opens upwardly into said chamber, said supporting ring having an aperture spaced inwardly of said rods and which overlies the open end of said outlet passage so that liquid discharged therefrom contacts and flows upwardly along the surface of said rods whereby the rods are wet by the liquid and the liquid is thrown out from said cage-like device in a fine mist by centrifugal action and 'baflle means for guiding a vertically disposed operating shaft having a pumpat the lower end thereof and a fan at the upper end thereof for moving air upwardly through said chamber, the improvement which comprises a cage-like spray device secured to said shaft above the liquid level in said sump and below said fan, said spray device comprising a bracket mounted on said shaft, a plurality of circumferentially spaced rods attached to the bracket and extending downwardly therefrom, and a supporting ring for stabilizing the lower ends of said rods, concentric cylindrical elements forming a hollow circumferential outlet for pumped liquid which is axially disposed and which opens upwardly into said chamber, said supporting ring having an aperture spaced inwardly of said rods and which overlies the open end or said outlet passage so that liquid discharged therefrom contacts and flows upwardly along the surface of said rods whereby the rods are wet by the liquid and the liquid is thrown out from said cage-like device in a fine mist by centrifugal action, said bracket being substantially imperforate and forming a barrier at the upper end of said cage-like device for preventing the passage of air and liquid upwardly through the upper end of said spray device and baflle means for guiding air upwardly in the interior chamber and around the outside of the spray device.

3. In an air cleaning device of the type comprising a shell forming an interior chamber having an air inlet adjacent its lower end and an air outlet adjacent its upper end, a sump at the lower end of the shell for containing liquid and a vertically disposed operating shaft having a pump at the lower end thereof and a fan at the upper end thereof for moving air upwardly through said chamber, the improvement which comprises a cage-like spray device secured to said shaft above the liquid level in said sump and below said fan, said spray device comprising a bracket mounted on said shaft, a plurality of circumferentially spaced rods attached to the bracket and extending downwardly therefrom, and a supporting ring for stabilizing the lower ends of said rods, concentric cylindrical elements forming a hollow circumferential outlet for pumped liquid which is axially disposed and which opens upwardly into said chamber, said rods being generally circular in cross section, said supporting ring having an aperture spaced inwardly of said rods and which overlies theopen end of said outlet passage so that liquid discharged therefrom contacts and flows upwardly along the surface of said rods whereby the rods are wet by the liquid and the liquid is thrown out from said cage-like device in a fine mist by centrifugal action and baflie means for guiding air upwardly in the interior chamber and around the outside of the spray device.

4. In an air cleaning device of the type comprising a shell forming an interior chamber, a sump at the lower end of the shell containing liquid and a vertically disposed shaft having a pump at its lower end for pumping liquid upwardly into said chamber, the combination of a cage-like spray device secured to said shaft above the liquid level in said sump, .sai'd spray device comprising a circular ."plate mounted on said shaft, a plurality of circumferentiallyzspaced rods attached to said plate and extending downwardly therefrom, :a supporting .ring for stabilizing the lower ends :of said rods, and m'eans defining a hollow circumferential .pump outlet passage extending axially :upwardly from :said pum around the shaftandopening into the chamber adjacent to-- the lower .end of said cage-like device, said supporting wring extending outwardly of the :open end of the said outlet passage and having "an opening therein registering with :the open end of said outlet passage so that only liquid is discharged :upwardly through said opening in .said ring and :into the cage-like spray device for contact and "How upwardly :along the .surface of .said rods whereby said rods are wet by :said liquid and said liquid is thrown outwardly of .said cage as a fine mist by centrifugal 'actionand bafilemeans for guiding air upwardly in the interior chamber and around the :outside :of the spray device.

.5. In an air cleaning device of the type comprising :a shell forming an interior chamber, a sump :at :the lower end .of the shell containing liquid and a vertically disposed shaft having a pump at -its lower end ;-for pumping liquid 11p wardly into said chamber, the combination of a cage-alike spray device secured to said shaft-above the liquid level in said sump, :said spray device comprising .a circular plate mounted on said shaft,,a plurality of scircumferentially spaced rods attached to .said plate and extending downwardly therefrom, a supporting ring for stabilizing the lower ends of :said rods, and means defining a hollow circumferential pump outlet passage extending axially upwardly from said pump around the shaft to a point adjacent .said supporting ring,

said circumferential oirtlet passage being open at its upper end, said supporting ring having an opening therein spaced inwardly of said circumferentia'lly spaced :rods .and arranged over the upper open end of the circumferential outlet passage, said ring fbeing disposed outwardly of the upper open end of the circumferential outlet passage so that only the liquid is discharged upwardly through said opening in the ring and into "the rage-like spray device for contact and flow upwardly :along the surface of said rods whereby said rods are wet by said liquid and said liquid thrown outwardly of said cage as a fine mist by centrifugal action and baffle means for guiding air upwardly in the interior chamber and around the outside of the spray device.

ALBERT J. SCI-IIMPKE.

REFERENCES CITED I The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNiTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,242,859 'Plonski Oct. 9, 1917 1,659,683 "Dougan Feb. 21, 1928 1,717,959 Good-nor June 28, 1929 1,736,799 Planert Nov. 26, 1929 2,053,387 Williams Sept. 8, 1936 2,054,272 stouder Sept. 15, 1936 2,125,581 Pearce Aug, 2, 1938 2,143,628 Lea Jan, 10, 1939 2,157,416 Kjos Apr. 17,1939 2,220,275 Preston Nov. 5, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 503,857 GreatBritain Apr. 17, 1939 

